"Abundant Living"

"Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table." (Psalms 128:3)

  Well, that is pretty deep; the more I think of it, the more I feel pretty miserable about my own life: My wife is in a vegetative state, and our only child is wife the Lord. But who's complaining! As I always tell anyone that might ask, "It is what it is, God's in control." Surprisingly, this verse has some very interesting things to say, and it does not have to be about wives and children. There are many who believe that Paul was once married; it was pretty much mandatory for them that were of the order of the Sanhedrin to be married, so we must assume that he was. Whether his wife passed away or left him, he does not say; but one thing was for sure, he did not marry again, because he was married to the ministry and the task he had been given. Without getting too crazy with this, I will put it in very easy to understand terms: Paul had several wives, which were the churches that he planted throughout the various places he went; his children were all those that became pastors and leaders, to carry on what he had started. There is no greater honor that we can have than to teach and raise up ministers in the service of Jesus Christ; that is the Great Commission, to make disciples! If you could explain what abundant living looks like, this would be the ultimate example of abundant life. Life is not measure by the things that you own or the land you have; none of that is going to go with you when you leave this earth. But people, the people that have come to know Christ because of your service and sacrifice, there is nothing greater in this life then saving a life! I can only pray that my life counts for something other than taking up space. People tell me all the time how much it means to them to see me doing what I do for my wife; but it is not that big of a deal to me, because I am doing what I promised her I would do. More than that, I made a vow to God, and I did it in front of at least 80 people; many of which are still watching and taking notice of what I do. I have no complaints...

"Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but the Spirit of the Living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart." (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)

"Food to Grow By"

"For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." (Psalms 128:2)

  There are some things that are hard to explain. When someone is happy with the new car they just bought, it is easy to see where their happiness comes from; when they express happiness in their line of work, again, it is easy to see their source of being happy; but let a person be happy in a trial or while facing difficulties, then you start scratching your head and wondering if there is something wrong with them. This is the product of living in the here and now, while dwelling in the there and then. Without dragging this out into some longwinded sermon about prosperity and living well, I wish to just summarize what I feel the Lord is speaking into my heart and let anyone who listens to look up the evidence for them selves. The reason is really about making it personal; your personal experience is the only real way to know what this verse is taking about. When the Scripture says, "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him," it is making the case for a personal experience that must between you and God; nobody can give you a secondhand experience  that will even come close to the real thing. Reading someone's testimony or listening to a powerful message about trusting God is not going to do what needs to be done. If you want to know what it feels like to freefall from 10,000 feet, all the books regarding that experience will not give you the same experience you will have by doing it yourself. Sorry, but that was the best example I could think of in such short notice. The bottom line, is that we are here for a reason. God could have taken us home right after we got saved, and could have saved us a whole lot of trial and errors; but we are here because we must be salt and light to a dying world around us. Reading this verse, I can't help but think of the song, "It is Well," and I hope you can relate to what the connection is. No matter what this world might dish out, the spiritual food that we have been given to eat, can make everything taste good! No matter what, this is food to grow by! Rich Mullins had a song that said something about this, with the lyrics saying something like, "growing up to be big and strong," which is what Peter teaches, grow...

"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also with the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:14-18)

"Stuck Like Glue"

"Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways." (Psalms 128:1)

  Yesterday I was reminded about something Jesus said, it pretty much confirmed what I was trying to say yesterday morning; and it reinforced the aspect of why it is impossible for us to change or alter the treasure that we have been given. The Passage is found in Matthew 6:19-21 and Luke 12:33-34, and in these Scriptures we find the secret of true prosperity that can never be taken or destroyed. If you are wondering how it is that we remain constantly in fellowship with the Lord, it requires the fear of being out of fellowship; which requires the reverence of His love, His strength, and His never ending mercy! These are two very similar thoughts, but two entirely different areas for them to be put into practice or made useful in our lives. The one that fears the LORD, that walks in His ways, must be able to focus upon the two different aspects of living: the here and now, and the there and then. If we are living rightly, the there and then will be more important to us then the here and now; but the here and now is where we store up treasure for the there and then. No matter how hard I try, it seems that I can never be perfect; and the harder I try to be perfect, the more frustrated I get trying. What that tells me, is that the perfection is found somewhere else and not in myself; it is not a perfect world that we are living in, so we surely cannot be perfect conforming to this world and the laws of this world. The walk we must walk is one that is not of this world, it is based upon the home we have been adopted into, Heaven! As a citizen of heaven, there is where my heart belongs; it is only for a very short while that I am here, but it is in heaven where I have my home! I don't make the rules, I can only happily live in the rules that God has established for me to live out. There is where the "blessed" comes into play, that we are so very blessed when we reverence Him and when we have a manner of life that points to Him...

""Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."" (Matthew 6:19-21)

"One Who Reveres God"

PSALMS 128 [A Song of degrees.]

  Another Psalms that addresses families and what it means for the prosperity of a Believer's life. There is a certain happiness gained by having a reverence for God; besides the fact that we get to escape feeling ashamed, there is the knowledge of knowing that He is watching us and cares for us, more than we care for our own eternal security. One thing that I failed to mention yesterday, in regard to the Preacher and the Teacher, is that the greatest benefit that they have and know, is the Word of God. There is no way that His Word can be denied as real; there is just too much truth to allow for it to happen; there are too many prophecies fulfilled to debunk the truth. Besides, the best proof that we have presented to us, is that of a changed life! The happiness might come and go, but the joy of the Lord is there to stay! If you don't believe me, try it out for yourself. Try all you want to be happy when you are not feeling a reason to be happy; because happiness is being in a happy place. But joy, joy is something that is not about a place; joy is about being loved, and if you know anything about how that works, the Being loving us is not effected by our emotions; He loves us no matter how we feel about our love towards Him, His love for us never changes. I don't know about you, but there are times when I really don't feel very lovable or worthy of His love; those are the times when I am seriously out of my happy place, that place where I feel unashamed. But God, He does not change! Joy can be felt with or without me being in my happy place, because the God that loves me cannot be contained in any place or even in time; regardless of what time it is or how long it has been since I was in my happy place, wherever that place might be found. Anywho, this is a Psalm about prosperity, but not the kind of prosperity that you think. This is about the kind of prosperity that cannot be lost or taken. It cannot be denied, does not change, and will not ever go away. How do you think any of that is possible? Believe it or not, but "Reveres" has much to do with that...

"We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love." (1 John 4:16-18) NLT

"All in One"

"Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (Psalms 127:5)

  As it is customary belief, God's Word has a way of speaking into our hearts on so many different levels. We can read the same Scriptures over and over, thinking that we have looked at every single angle and every single description on meaning, and still, God uses that same Scripture for a way to bring something new and exciting into our hearts; this is not all that different of a situation. Besides that the topic is meant to be about families, children specifically, as one should assume; this takes a little turn towards something a bit more spiritual and mysterious. Walking through the entire text, it would appear that we can view this in a whole different light, say one that shows what true security is in the heart of a Minister, someone that shares and teaches the Word of God. Both David and Solomon considered themselves to be Preachers and Teachers, so it could include ether one of them to still have written this Psalm; but only one of them was a man of war, and that one was David. If you want to really get crazy into some way out of this world spiritualization on the Text; this could actually deal with Spiritual Warfare, on a whole different level. If anyone came close to understanding the aspects of Spiritual Warfare, it was Paul; he was right in the middle of the battle and he understood what was required to stand, and to keep standing, regardless of the opposition and the push to knock him down. Taking a little stroll through the Text, we start out by acknowledging that the Builder and Keeper is God. This is probably the most important thing that any Preacher or Teacher of God's Word must understand and relearn, over and over again. Whether we are talking about a ministry or a Minister, it is all the same: God makes the person, and God makes the Ministry! And, having established that, it is God also that keeps them both on the right track; which is the point of how important it is for prayer to govern the spiritual walk of any believer, especially someone that preaches and teaches the Word. To understand how this might look in relation to real life situations, then we can examine the Psalm that best explains what this means, Psalms 72, "A Prayer for the King," another Psalm by David for Solomon; except this one leaves no doubt who wrote it, because he signed his name in the last verse. I guess if you really want to get technical about it, the "Quiver" is the instruments of God; which, if you really want to dig deep, are the spiritual experiences of the one that serves God by sharing His Word. There is where the real testing comes; that is what makes one to be unashamed, and be able to speak with the enemies of God, both publicly and boldly...

"I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seem among the Gentiles. For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News. For I am not ashamed of the Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes -the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities -his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." (Romans 1:13-20) NLT

"All in the Family"

"As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth." (Psalms 127:4)

  Yada Yada; as some might imply. What does love have to do with this? I'm sorry, I thought I made it clear in the beginning, this is surely about Family; to be more precise, One Big Safe and Secure Family! We are the house, our family is the house, even the church is the house; if God is not the Builder of this house, they labor in vain that build it! This includes those precious children; the younger the better! Seriously, if we don't start teaching them young, they surely might not see the big picture; that picture being the Creator that made them and keeps them. My mom might have messed up in some areas, but instructing me about the fact that I was created by God, was surely not one of them. I know I shared this before, but it was I think 5th grade or so, as I walked into school the first day of the new school year; the first thing I noticed on the wall over the chalkboard was this stupid poster that showed man evolving from a monkey. The second thing I noticed was another poster on the wall by the door that was the cover of the Beetles Abby Road album. I instantly rejected the notion of having evolved from a monkey; I thought it was the stupidest thing that I had ever heard, and I made sure to let the teacher know what I thought. I went over to his desk and flipped the globe on his deck upside down, just to demonstrate how I felt about it. The Beetles poster made more sense than that stupid monkey poster; and I didn't even know what it was trying to say! Long story short: We are made in the image of God! Do you know what it means to be loved by the God that created you? It means more than anything else in this stupid world! If that Beetle poster meant anything, it most likely was showing the deaths created by this other stupid poster; society had just crossed the street from life to death! More than just our Father, our God is our security and the one that keeps us; whether life gives us tragedy or seclusion, we always have someone to call out to! Do you know how many countless lives have been taken, just over that one simple fact? I know that for a fact, because if it had not been for my ability to cry out to God, based upon my belief in Him, I would have taken my own life a long time ago. This is more than just about "arrows," whether they mean weapons or the actual archers; this is about the Family of God, and you know Who's you are and where you came from, and most importantly, where you will end up...

""My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray and turned them loose in the mountains. They have lost their way and can't remember how to get back to the sheepfold. All who found them devoured them. Their enemies said, 'We did nothing wrong in attacking them, for they have sinned against the LORD, their true place of rest, and the hope of their ancestors.' "But now, flee from Babylon! Leave the land of the Babylonians! Like male goats at the head of the flock, lead my people home again. For I am raising an army of great nations in the north. They will join forces to attack Babylon, and she will be captured. The enemies' arrows will go straight to the mark; they will not miss! Babylonia will be looted until the attackers are glutted with loot. I, the LORD, have spoken!"" (Jeremiah 50:6-10) NLT

"His Portion"

"Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." (Psalms 127:3)

  Maybe you have been blessed with many children; if so, you have to understand that those are also the property of the LORD; they are gifts of God that are placed in your care, gifts with limits! This is something that I feel the world is totally against; and that we have grown accustom to not only letting our guard down when it comes to raising our children in the wisdom and strength of the LORD, but we have turned much of their training over to the powers to be; powers that have been taken over and are ran by the ruler of this world, none other than the devil. If you doubt me, check it out for yourself. The truth is plain to see, as our children are being turned against God and all that is considered holy and true, anything associated with their Creator, and all that is good in the eyes of God. It's not all bad, because there are several pockets of faithful believers in areas all over the world. Praise the Lord for that! But you have got to understand what we are up against, because the majority of those around us will take the world's point of view. On the brighter side of life, we are called to make disciples, so guess what that means to the believers that are blessed with lots of kids: You have your own personal church! I am so blessed to be able to see some of this first hand, as I get to visit homes where I get to witness this in real life. Families where there are 5, 6, 7, or more children; all of which are taught from the Bible, first and foremost! All the other curriculum is secondary, because the Bible comes first. They are smart and disciplined, eager to help around the house, and very polite to strangers; believe me, I know because I have seen this first hand. They don't know me from Adam, and I am only there to inspect the house; but they have a certain quality that speaks a great testimony of what it means to be God's portion, children that are dedicated to the Lord...

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

"To Be Loved"

"It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep." (Psalms 127:2)

  This might seem a little strange, but what's new? There is a huge difference between those that work to make money and those that work to provide for others; night and day kind of difference. As with almost everything we do, if it is done for selfish reasons, it is just a waste of time and effort. Think about it, if you don't agree: When it is done, what do you have to show for all your efforts? More toys and stuff to maintain? All of which is meaningless to you, when you die! You might have heard the old saying, "You never see a U-Haul following a hurst," because once you pass away, all the stuff you collected gets sorted and given out to others. So, it is so much better to give it out while you are alive, that way you get to see where it goes! Actually, you might see a big 40ft long MotorHome following a hurst, because my wife and I were following our son to the cemetery in our MotorHome. It must have been quite a sight, seeing a hurst followed by a MotorHome, and then the limos and other cars following behind us. The reason it was done that way, was because it was a entire day of activities, and my wife needed a place to be changed, feed, and rested. We did the funeral service, then went to the cemetery for the grave-side service, and then to the Red Lion for the Celebration of Life. In all, it was pretty much a 10 hour ordeal; I could not leave my wife sitting in her wheelchair for 10 hours straight. If you really want to get right down to it, what matters the most in life, are the things that you can do for others. Isn't that what Jesus was all about? Most importantly, He was about doing the will of His Father! You want to sleep well and have beautiful sleep; there is nothing better to give you that kind of sleep, other than knowing you are doing God's will. What a difference it makes when we know that God loves us! What a difference it makes when we confess our sins before we go to sleep! Now, as to the point of that fire torched Saint; still a Saint, but smoldering, is better than not being a Saint at all! You're a Saint or You Ain't...

""LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered -how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath." Interlude
"We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you."" (Psalms 39:4-7) NLT

"The Builder and Keeper"

"Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." (Psalms 127:1)

  There are some things that are seriously out of our control and better left up to God. If you have spent any time in ministry you have hopefully grown to understand this and to know what things are His to do, and hopefully, you know what are your's to do. I tend to think of it as if we are the hands and feet of God; if it requires physical action, such as sweeping and taking out the trash, then it is something that is up to us and our responsibility. But when it comes to the actual ministry, which involves people, it is all about God doing His thing; we just need to love! Really, is it really that simple? Well, once we are filled with the Spirit, yes it is; because we cannot love the way that we need to love without the Holy Spirit helping us and leading our hearts. Look at it like this: The house that is built, does not just have the proper foundation, it must also have the proper Builder! We are just laborers working on the house that He builds; if it is not Him building the house, then those that build it are building it for themselves and for their own glory. I have seen enough of this to know how that works, as I have watched pastors and elders in the church start doing things in their own strength and ability to try and grow their churches, only to discover they have built something that they cannot control or keep under their control. It is really not that hard to understand, if the LORD does not build it, then the builder is not the LORD! If the builder is not the LORD, then how can it possibly called the LORD's house? We are just workmen in the LORD's house; whether that involves building it or maintaining it, we are all just laborers for His work and the ministry belongs to Him. To the point of keeping the city, it is something more than just the surrounding areas of the house that is built, it is a place that is fortified and protected. Who is guarding your house? ADT or Simply Safe can only do so much; but God, if He is guarding your home, then you have true security! Now, to take this to the next level, the love of God has no bounds! This goes for our personal qualities and well as for our personal surroundings; as off the wall as that might sound, there are no limits to how far He will take us or how much He can stretch us; basically, the house and the city are also referring to you and me...

"Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials -gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of fire." (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) NLT

"True Security"

PSALMS 127 [A Song of degrees for Solomon.]

  As with almost every trial or circumstance we face, the easy way out of anything might appear to be the hardest to endure; and yes, the title above this Psalm in my Bible does match this title today. Also, in case you might be wondering, I was tempted to follow up on a few points that were made yesterday and share some more on Psalms 126; but as it turns out, the things I wanted to say are summed up in the title above. If you have been following this blog for any amount of time, then you probably have seen me post about what I think of Solomon's end and where I expect to see he ended up: in heaven along with all the other saints! Some might disagree, as I have heard them say; but if you try and base our security upon our performances, you have seriously missed the point! My mom use to say, If you point your finger at someone, you will have ten fingers pointing back at you. To the point of our rejoicing, we are blessed beyond belief! There is nothing or nobody that can take away the salvation that we have been given, because it belongs to God in the first place. If you think you can somehow change that, you have another thing coming! Can you lasso the moon and bring it down to earth? No, I didn't think so! In the same way, you cannot touch or disturb what God has made or created; because if He has established something to be so, only He can undo what He has done. I will leave off with that! It is believed by most, that this Psalm was penned by David for his son, Solomon; and yet, there are some that believe Solomon wrote it himself, as he did several other Psalms. If you really want to know, I don't think it really matters because they both had a couple things in common when it came to raising children. This is about family, no doubt; and whether you can realize it or not, the church is one big family! Paul speaks to the family being the body of Christ, as he shows how important and vital each and every member is to one another. (1 Corinthians 12:12-32) And yet, after showing the importance of each one to the other, he takes that knowledge to the next level by showing us, "A more excellent way," LOVE! That might be the single most thing that matters, beyond anything you could ever do or say, Do you believe that God loves you! That is really what it all comes down to, because any other thought is not true security...

"The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own work. For we are both God's workers. And you are God's field. You are God's building. Because of God's grace to me, I have laid a foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have -Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:8-11) NLT

"Beauty for Ashes"

"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalms 126:6)

  Here's the thing that matters the most, as far as I can see, and for what that is worth: If we, as a child of the KING of Glory, have anything worthy of being considered a tragedy or a cross to bear, it is our duty and our privilege to bear that cross or tragedy with a heart of thanksgiving, giving honor to the LORD, and not to bring attention to any hardship or discomfort we might be experiencing. I know that might be a lot to take in, but it is the truth that God has blessed me with knowing, first hand. To put it in another light, we that goeth forth, are those that live out whatever it is we have been given, as if it is that which God has blessed us with, even though it is hardly considered to be a blessing by anyone that is around us. The whole point of the word, "weepeth," is not specific to the person that is going forth, but it is almost as if there is some sort of comfort brought with their appearance; which is that spoken of by, "bearing precious seed." Forget for a moment that this is about anything that might be wrong in us, but in those we are going forth to, and consider for the time being we are just talking about salvation. The person that goes forth weeping, bearing precious seed, would be considered him or her that is weeping for the lost, as they encounter people in their lives that need to hear the Good News. This is our reason to be here, no matter who you are or whatever you are living though or in, is to share the Good News with those that are lost and need salvation. Whether it is the testimony you might have at the end of your natural life, or the testimony that God has blessed you with by just living out the life you have been given; you are meant to display your hope in that which gives you hope, Restoration! To sum up what I might be trying to say, the "sheaves" are like bundles of grain, the fruit of the "precious seed" that he planted. These are the testimonies we have in what we experience and how we live out the hope that is within us. And the greatest aspect of what we have been given, is that we rejoice in the end! It might be hard, it might be tragic, it might even appear as though your life is cursed; but whatever it is that you are living in, you are in it because God wants you to bless others and glorify His name. The harder we are pressed, the more wine is produced; just try to make sure the wine is not bitter; because not matter what, we still get to rejoice...

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath appointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3)

"Seeds of Joy"

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." (Psalms 126:5)

  If you are interested in what expectation and longing for something to happen might produce, if it something you know is going to take place, it is incredibly pleasant to experience; but if it is something that you doubt will happen, it produces worry and sadness; this is not speaking of the those things we have doubt about, but those things that we believe in with all of our hearts! Paul has a special way of expressing what this means, in that he says in Romans 8:22-25, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." Personally, I look forward to the day when I will hear my wife speak again, when I can hug my son, when I can ask the Lord some serious questions; things that I believe with all of my heart are going to happen; but in the meantime, with patience I wait for it! This is the groaning that Paul is speaking of, because this wait, although sometimes hard and painful to endure, is absolutely no comparison to the glory that is to come! How else can we put this? When Paul says that all things work together for good, the all things includes the sufferings and the tears that are shed by all the saints; "tears in a bottle," like a bottle of Champagne that will be uncorked and explode with joy and excitement. If we truly believe that all of this is true, then how can anything else take the joy of it actually happening away? It really feels amazingly good to get a cry out! If you haven't done it in a while, it is long over due. It is quite alright for us to weep over our situation or circumstance, as long as we remember to rejoice over the end result...

""Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour has come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."" (John 16:20-22)

"Captive Audience"

"Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the steams in the south." (Psalms 126:4)

  He is not done yet, that is for sure! There is something about knowing that God is always working, even when He is resting, He continues to work: He holds everything together, He makes all things new, and His love never ceases, regardless of the stupid things that we do! This is the beginning of something new; and as with everything that becomes new, with that comes change; and change sometimes makes us uncomfortable and puts us on edge. If you really want to see what we are talking about, imagine what, "the steams in the south," might look like and what they represent: because they represent calmness and prosperity! If you know anything about how the Holy Spirit works, He is all about those two characteristics, calmness and prosperity; as in control and order, as well as making us prosper in the spreading the Good News. I don't know about you, but if I am visiting a church where people are uncontrollably falling on the floor or laughing hysterically, I head for the door; the Spirit that I believe in does not do things that are out of order. When the disciples that were gather all spoke with different dialects, in Acts 2:3-13, they were all speaking about Jesus and the wonderful works of God. This is what Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do, to proclaim His name and the works of God; not be out of control and unruly, but under the control of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that proclaims Christ and redemption. The point of what I am trying to say, is quite simple: That it might be dream like, this journey we are in, this boat we are on, this bus ride to glory; but it is not out of control! God does not start something and then leave it up to us to finish; He finishes everything that He starts, including that work that He started in you! I never actually visited Niagara Falls, but from what I understand it is pretty intense. The streams in the south are pretty much the opposite of that kind of experience; so is the request being made in this verse; a request for calmness and prosperity! "Peace, be still," was what Jesus said to the raging sea; which is also what He continues to say to you and me; along with something else we sometimes forget to do, "to watch and be amazed"...

"When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open the rivers in the high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the olive tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it." (Isaiah 41:17-20)

"MerryHearted"

"The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." (Psalms 126:3)

  Before you go and start thinking this is just about being glad, there is something we must come to terms with before the gladness can be genuine. Paul uses a simple illustration in the Book of Ephesians that gets this point across, that we are united in Christ, that were once were far off! To be perfectly clear, there was absolutely nothing we could do to reunite ourselves to God, absolutely nothing! Romans 3:10-11 says, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." So, in order for God to save us, He first had to reach out and touch us; because we surely were not going to find Him otherwise! There is simply no other way to explain how it can happen. The grace by which God has saved us came before mercy, because He surely gave us what we did not deserve before He did not give what we did deserve. He reached out to us and showed Himself to us, that we could see our great need for His mercy; if not for that, we would have never asked for mercy to begin with. To see the picture painted by this verse, we have got to understand the sadness behind the 'Whereof,' because it speaks of something that was otherwise impossible for it to happen, if not for God! It is sort of like the story of the man who was throwing the fish back into the sea that has washed up on shore; as he was asked, Why are you wasting your time, there are way too many of them for that to matter? And the man answered back, as he tossed in another fish: It mattered to that one! That was me, washed up on shore and a fish out of water; lost in a vast amount of other fish that were washed up on shore; and then here comes God, to pick me up and toss me back! If not for Him choosing me, I would still be stuck on that shore, dying and without any hope! That is the point of what Paul was trying to say, the far off point is the distance we were separated from God; and there was nothing we could do about it, it was up to God to bring us back to Him...

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 55:11-13)

"Truly Good!"

"Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them." (Psalms 126:2)

  As I get older, I realize there are things that I regret not doing; if only I had done it this way or that, is becoming more and more prevalent, the older I get. Why is that, you might wonder? It is pretty simple actually, because the older we get, the less chances we have to correct our mistakes or to make something happen that we wished we had done. If you are looking for someone's shoulder to cry on, you have come to the wrong place! We are never too old to celebrate what God has done for us; as a matter of fact, the older we get, and the closer we get to the grave, the more our celebration counts as true and meaningful celebration of the life to come. We cannot change the past, but we can surely make something count for the future. There is a pretty controversial parable that Jesus uses to explain how this works, it is found in Luke 16:1-13. Basically, if you are so inclined, it speaks about the end of life and how much of a difference one can make by sharing the Gospel when everyone knows that you time is near. The heading of this portion of Scripture in my Bible reads: "How to Get a Welcoming Committee in Heaven." You don't need a degree to share the Good News, you just need to have experienced the transformation and share what Jesus Christ has done in your life. There are some things that are priceless and hard to find; real peace and hope are two of them, and if you know where to find them, you need to share that with those that need some! That is the truth of what we see happening here; the children of Israel were shocked by what just happened, it actually felt like a dream; something very similar to what the disciples experience when they learned that Jesus rose from the dead. But, man o man, what a difference it made in how they looked at the cross! What hope and peace they celebrated, just like He said they would! If you truly feel as though you regret not having done this or that, use that feeling to motivate you to make a difference in the lives of those around you. There is still time, as long as you can still laugh and sing! Laugh about the thought of death and sing about all that Christ has done to give you eternal life...

"For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exist by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen." (Romans 11:32-36) NLT

"Too Good To Be True"

"When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream." (Psalms 126:1)

  Not that I know anything special, because I don't, but this sure looks like the way I felt about two weeks into my new life. I can almost remember it as if it was yesterday, because I had just been transferred back to Wayside, the place where I had previously been weeping outside of the church I did not want any part of; except now, that church building was so inviting, I hung out there almost every single day. I spent my time there meeting with the Chaplin and trying to find out as much as I could about what this new life was about and how I could get involved and what I should do when I was finally released; all sorts of things that were totally new and exciting; just hanging out with the other believers was like taking long walks in glory. I just couldn't get enough! Anywho, this is a perfect illustration of the impact that being born again had on my life, because I had just discovered that God loved me so much, that He hung upon that cross to give me eternal life! I spent several times in the Book of John; over and over I would read it, each time finding something new and exciting to share and speak about. What fascinated me the most was to know who Jesus was; to finally know Him and to put all of my trust in my Risen King! All other leaders and people to follow have nothing on Him; they are all buried and their bones rest in the grave; but not my Lord, He rose from the grave! That is a total game changer! Paul speaks about the significant fact of Him being risen, as he says, "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:16-17) What is even greater still, is the fact that we get to rise up also! If you don't realize the significance of what that means, you really need to press that fact into your heart and mind; because it means everything and more than anything else...

"Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:18-22)

"Thanksgiving for Restoration"

PSALMS 126 [A Song of degrees.]

  Something that is easily overlooked in our lives as believers, is that wonderful work that was done in us the day we first believed. I don't know how it was for you, but for me, my excitement for being saved could not be contained. It is believed that this Psalm might have been written by Ezra; who, in case you missed my introduction to the Psalms, is believed to be the one who arranged the Psalms in the order we have them now. Whether that be true or not is really not that important, except that this was a very important time in the life of Israel and their being restored after their captivity in Babylon. If you stop and think about it, our lives have so much in common with what that speaks to, the redemption of a soul that has been separated from the One who made it; there is nothing more vital to a lost soul than to be reunited with God! But this is just not about restoration, this is about us being thankful for having been redeemed; and not just for our inner man to be thankful, as if it is kept inside and all to ourselves; this is about thanksgiving that causes the lost to take notice, where those that do not know what redemption is like, begin to wonder how they can get some theirselves. As I examine my life, I pray that it would display the thankfulness of my heart; that people would see my hope being expressed as hope that has been realized and not as hope that is far off and distant. If you catch my meaning. We that have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, we are not waiting for redemption to happen, as if our salvation is far off; we are restored right now, the very moment we first believed! That was Paul's point from Galatians 6:15, it is the new creature that has been created in Christ, that is what matters now, more than anything else! Whether we be Jew or Gentile, or whatever else you previously claimed to be; in Christ we are made new, forever more to be in the Body of Christ...

"In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and send it throughout his kingdom: "This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: "The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward their expenses by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem."" (Ezra 1:1-4) NLT

"Surely Sure"

"As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel." (Psalms 125:5)

  Just to be clear, we do have a choice in how we walk out this life we have been given; but even still, there are limits to how far our Heavenly Father will allow us to be taken down a crooked path. Some might see this as a verse that speaks how God might give up, as though He turns those that are living wrong over to their wicked ways. To a certain extent, I believe that is true; He can only tell us so many times to stop, and then it's time for Him to show us He means business. That said, He does not ever give up on His children! I guess the best way that we can view this line of thinking is by looking at the example Jesus gave about the Prodigal Son. Although the son left to live outside of the father's wishes and protection, he was never ever outside of the father's love and affection. As far as the father was concerned, his son was still his son, no matter how far he might have gone, or how bad his life went wrong, he was always going to remain his son! The son did ask the father to let him go, and it might have not been what the father wanted to see happen, but the father knew in his heart that his son would be back, somehow someway, his son would be back! Jesus makes that perfectly clear, that the father never gave up looking for his son to return; and when he saw his son returning, he ran to greet him! Basically, what we have is a picture of grace being poured out on the son, regardless of what he did or how much disrespect he showed his father, grace was given, and it was given abundantly! His son asked for mercy, but the father wanted to pour out grace. This is what I am seeing in this verse, that we might get chewed up by whatever it is that takes us away or turns us aside, but, or when, or however, we turn back to God asking Him for mercy, He pours out grace; abundant grace on His children...

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and upon the Israel of God. From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." (Galatians 6:15-18)

"Good to Go"

"Do good, O LORD, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their heart." (Psalms 125:4)

  So, if you are looking for something that can give you comfort in the midst of any storm or trial, then you have come to the right place. This does not address the perfect, as if there is anyone that is; this is for those that are sincere and pure at heart. I know what I am, and I know where I stand with God; if that is your position also, then as I am, you too should be ready to go, if the Lord should call you home at any moment. Isn't that what it is all about? Where is peace realized in our lives? It is realized in the eternal, not in the life that is lived here in this world. If we are looking for peace to come from this world, or in it, we are not going to find it here, because it isn't here! As to the point James was making, to mourn and weep, this is our heart before God that he is getting at; the point is that of realizing what we are and how much we need to be changed! The closer we get to God, the more sinful we appear; the more we draw nigh to Him, the more He draws nah to us, and the more illuminated the sin in our life becomes. This is not a dig at Paul's declaration of "Counting it all Joy," or to, "Rejoice, and again I say Rejoice!" Before we can honestly rejoice and be filled with gladness, we must repent and be filled with sadness! You either believe or you don't! Seriously, that is what it all comes down to. If you truly believe that you are going to Heaven, then you are going to make sure your bags are packed and you are ready to go, at all times and anytime, you are ready to go! That is how you be good; that is what it means to be upright in heart! You cannot get there any other way but by God declaring that is what you are; and the point that I am sharing with you, is that you will know when you are or you aren't! Simple as it might sound, it is something you either are or you aren't. If you know that you are going to Heaven, you be good...

"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don't feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us." (1 John 3:18-24) NLT

"Lots of Love"

"For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity." (Psalms 125:3)

  In the chance that we become weary of being tormented or persecuted, God will always give us a way to deal with whatever it is that we are up against; as it is with being tempted, He always will give us a way to escape. With either of these issues, trials or temptations, it is totally up to us to reach out and take hold of whatever it is, either shelter or escape. If you believe in miracles, as you should, then you must know that it is our faith that causes the miracle to take place in our lives, or in the lives of others. It might not take a miracle to make us feel less torment in a trial, or less temptation when we are tempted, but as with the power behind the miracle, there is also power involved with dealing with torment and temptation. Not that I have all day to get this point across, because I don't; but if you really want to have relief or deliverance, then you must plug into the power of God! He has already given us everything that we need to overcome, we just need to reach out and take hold of it. Whether it is our lack of faith or our strong desire to continue being tempted, it is something going on in us that makes us choose to fail or fall. If you have ever tried to counsel someone that is dealing with a really difficult situation, as long as the problem appears bigger than God can handle, or they believe that God has abandoned them, there is nothing that you can give them to make their situation better. But, it only takes one second for them to turn their face to God, and just like that everything is totally different! Really, that is the miracle of God's love! We cannot deny it; we cannot undo it; and we surely can't stop it! James puts it in terms that make far more sense than mine...

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4:8-10)

"Kept by Might"

"As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever." (Psalms 125:2)

  I think we take for granted what God has done for us, thinking it is just part of who He is, so there is really no sacrifice on His part to do what He does. I don't know if you realized it or not, but Jesus did actually live here for over 33 years, so I think that there is more to it than you might think. What is the meaning of sacrifice, and how is it demonstrated? Paul gives us a little glimpse of what it looks like in 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter of Love! Love is all about sacrifice, because it is all about putting others before ourselves; which, by the way, is not an easy thing to do, naturally; it must be something that we determine to do, and at times, it requires great strength and endurance. Do a little quick study in the Book of Hosea, if you don't think that it does; because our natural tendency is to discard one another, without giving it a second thought. Hence, the proper meaning of Isaiah 55:8-9, that God's ways and thoughts are far above our ways and thoughts; the way we think of others and the way we treat one another are so much lower that God's way of thinking about us and treating us. The verse that comes before those two, says, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." Don't think for a moment that it is not something that God does without sacrifice, because all throughout Scripture, He declares that He is Holy. There was so much power and might displayed when Jesus died upon that cross, that the whole earth shook, the heavens opened, and the dead came forth from their graves and walked the earth! Imagine what kind of power that sacrifice came with, and then think of the petty things we let get between one another. Odd to think about it, but there is more power in God's weakness and sacrifice, than there is in all of our strength and selfishness. To get the best view of what this might be about, we discover what was first, Jerusalem or the mountains, and then determine that the mountains were first; but it was God that established Jerusalem in the midst of the mountains. So there you have it; you are stuck, no where to go, and He is not letting go, ever...

""My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them to me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one."" (John 10:27-30)

"Kept by Grace"

"They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." (Psalms 125:1)

 If you are looking for something that is easy to hold onto, then you should be looking at the One that is holding onto you! There are some mornings that just feel off, as though I have no clue what I am doing, what God is trying to say, or even if I should continue this incredible journey. I cannot tell you that this is easy, because it is not; it is really hard some mornings to express what it is that I feel God is telling me, and some mornings, I don't even know how to interpret what He is saying, if He is even saying anything at all. But God, who holds everything together, I know is holding me; that much I can tell you with every fiber of my being. If you want to know what I feel this verse is speaking to, then there it is; that we are not governed by what we feel or don't feel, because trying to base anything upon that is like trying to govern your life by which way the wind is blowing; it just does not work! No, this is not about the feelings we might have, the thoughts we might be thinking, or even the way we might understand what is being said; this is about a God that loves you, regardless of what you might be feeling, thinking, or understanding, He continues to love you! The point of much of yesterday's post, in case you did not get the meaning, is that He never changes; regardless of what we might be feeling, He remains the same! I know that is hard to imagine sometimes, especially when we are struggling with sin or dealing with a trial. But, any time we have something that takes our hope away, it is time to focus upon the One that holds us and is never letting go! This is grace! Grace is God giving you what you do not deserve, regardless of how much you don't deserve it, He just keeps on giving it, even more, the more you don't deserve...

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us, through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourself: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:4-10)

"God Surrounds His People"

PSALMS 125 [A Song of degrees.]

  Where can you go, that God is not with you? It might be about that; and then again, it might be more about the hiding place we have in the loving arms of God. As I was saying, regarding God's protection of His people, He knows who we are way before we even have the chance to make our choice for Him. If there is any other way to explain it, this is more about filling the void, not only us having that God shaped void filled in us, but we fill the place notched in Him. I really don't know how else to explain it, because there is always a place there for those that are chosen to be there; the place is and always has been established, by God. This is not Calvinism, this is not about no freedom of choice; this is about God already knowing who you are and where you are in His plans for you, eternally. We, on the other hand, know nothing about anything; we can only pray for mercy and have hope that we make all the right choices. Even then, if we are His property, the wrong choices that we might make, are not always the wrong choices, that we make; as crazy as that might sound. I guess the best way we can illustrate this, without getting too far outside the margins, is to examine David's life. Was he a perfect man? By all means, no! Yet in God's eye, he was His perfect man to illustrate His plans for His people; to show how His mercy works, and to demonstrate how grace ignores failure and defeat. To put this in another light, we can imagine that the Light is manifested in the darkness; the darkness being us and our unrighteousness, the Light being God and His holiness. That is pretty much the picture I was looking for: God surrounds His people with His Light...

"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ." (Ephesians 1:10-12)

"The One and Only!"

"Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth." (Psalms 124:8)

  There might be a little confusion in the world about all of this; but there should not be any of it within the church. Sadly, that is not the case! I know we cannot all be in agreement on everything, but on the basic principles of God, His Grace, and the cross of Christ, we had better get it together! Do you realize that their are some Christians that believe you can be good and make it into heaven? I might think it can be possible for a child, a small child, to get that chance, or even someone that has never heard the message of the cross; but to think that someone who has heard the message, refused the message, and then tried to make it based upon works; I beg to differ, but their are Scriptures that will refute that claim. Besides, why would you want to take a chance like that? Another type of freedom that we have been given, is freedom from condemnation! (John 3:17-21) Just do what God wants us to do, and then feel the weight lifted off of your shoulders! It is really just that easy! I am sorry, but I just needed to get that off of my chest. Anywho, we are wrapping this up; "God Protects His People," was what the title said, and God protects His people is what this is all about; whether you believe it or not! I know I might have gone a little bit outside the margins, but it was for a reason, because this grace that we have been given, freely given, also does the same! That was the whole point of 1 Kings 9:4, and the whole, "Audience of One," God gets to decide who is guilty and who is not, Him and Him only! And guess what? God's people are never guilty! "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:12) That was David's Psalms about God's love; that was David's heart after God, that he knew how much God loved him! Because he knew God loved him, he was God's prize possession; but that is just a small part of the great mystery, because God knows who are His way before they know it themselves. So, at what point are God's people protected? I can tell you from personal experience, it starts at a very early age. But I have Scripture to back that up also...

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

But if that seems a little to hard to swallow, try another: "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."" (John 9:1-3)

"An Audience of One"

"Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snares of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped." (Psalms 124:7)

  If you are looking for the victory lap to happen now, it is a little ways off, just over the horizon. Now it is time to run like the wind and to be excited for the chance to celebrate freedom; freedom that is unlike anything else we have ever known. I heard a brief part of a message yesterday, it was about God's promise to Solomon in 1 Kings 9, specifically the part in verse 4, where God refers to David, saying, "And if you walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments." There is really only One Judge that we need to be concerned about; and if we believe that He loves us and we put our trust in Him, we are safe! Why people don't get that, I can't really understand. There was no other way that He could have done what He did, but to send His Son to die in our place; it was His way of showing us just how much He loved us. If you stop and think about it, the same way that we are only needing to be concerned with One that looks upon us, Jesus too was demonstrating the same thing, only One that mattered! We can examine the opening verse of Isaiah 53, and get a clue of how this might appear, or not appear; because in the real sense, only the eyes of the Father matter; it really does not matter what anyone else might think! "To whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" Well, if there is any other way to explain it, it was spoken of by Jesus to a guy named Nicodemus, saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) We must enter into the whirlwind, if you will, to be awakened to the fact that we are like a bird trapped and in need of escape; and there is only one way that the snare is broken; there is only One that holds the key...

"And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen." (Genesis 22:13-14)

"Group Think"

"Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us up as a prey to their teeth." (Psalms 124:6)

  Okay, so there are some things which we might never truly know; whether or not God is really for us, surely is not one on those things! If you thought yesterday was a little strange, I agree; but how strange is it to know that you are bulletproof and safe from every sort of destruction known to man? Maybe there was some kind of a memo that was overlooked, because I see people getting destroyed all of the time. Good people, that are doing things, extraordinary things that require sacrifice and giving up the pleasures you and I take for granted. I am thinking of that conversation Jesus had with Peter about him being sifted as wheat. If you can picture the expression that might have been on Peter's face, maybe a little curious, maybe a little scared of what that might mean and whether or not it involved pain. Nonetheless, Peter's answer was one that seemed courageous, but Jesus knew more about Peter than he knew about his own self. Here is what we must understand about the God we serve: Nothing is going to happen to us that He does not allow to happen! Regardless of what it might be or how totally unfair it might appear, if it is happening to us, it is not only allowed, but it is for a reason! Case in point, the fact that Satan had desired to have Peter, and have him to sift him as wheat, is not something you typically think that God would allow. On the contrary, it just so happens that every sort of evil work that happens against the church is of the devil; and yes, God allows it to happen; and double yes, there is always a reason that He allows it, no matter how ugly it might appear. Call it whatever you want to, but if you want to feel any comfort, you could call it, "Taking one for the Team!" If you look at it in that light, you might actually feel it is more of an honor than a horrible thing; it might even be something that gets us excited to see the outcome, and where and how God gets the glory. The one thing that Jesus told Peter, He would pray for, was that his faith would not fail! This is what we must overcome, each and every time we are going through any trial, and when we come out through the other side, that our faith would not fail! I hope you see the power that is being spoken of here, because this is not about us; this is about God and His work! "God, allow my life to be a vessel worthy enough for you to use for Your glory!" All of those then's we just walked through are things that have no power to destroy us, not in the least! If anything, they strengthen us...

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shinned in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:6-10)

"Over and Over"

"Then the proud waters had gone over our soul." (Psalms 124:5)

  It is really not about something that is rhetorical, because there is nothing here that is impressive or even able to persuade; it is about being real with ourselves and knowing where we stand with God, because, if you think that you are somehow willing and able to stand on your own, you have lost all touch of reality. That said, there is something here that is can be presented as proof of our standing; dare I say, our sinful hearts! The whole point of what I have been saying, is that is what we are, we are sinners saved by God! This is what Paul declared in his letter to Timothy, saying, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." (1 Timothy 1:15-16) We cannot take away the sinner and still expect the miracle to look the same; yet, there are some that will try and make that claim; which, in reality, has no standing in Christ. (No pun intended!) I was glad Pastor Bryan went back to 2 Kings 6:1-7, because I was a little disappointed that we skipped over it the Sunday before. He mentioned something about the "ax head" being a work of God, not belonging to the person that used it, but being borrowed from God. This is the whole point of our salvation, in that it is not really ours, it belongs to God. And yet, all that we need to do in order to obtain it, is to just reach out and take it up! We cannot earn it, we cannot buy it, we cannot even claim it as our own. We are the property of Christ; He purchased us with His blood, and in so doing, in very real and glorious way, we are that ax head! Don't you see how that works? How can you claim something that is not yours, even if it is actually you? When did this actually happen? What does the mucky waters represent? I guess we will just have to wait to find out those kind of answers. But in the current state we are in, we must just remain seated in Christ...

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world onto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, that knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

"Washed Over"

"Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:" (Psalms 124:4)

  Strange as it might sound, but I was beginning to think that I had made a mistake, that I should have just grouped all five of these verses together and been done with it all at once. Not a chance! There is something important here that needs to be seen, a perfect picture of what it means to be sanctified and refined, in spite of the lack of faith, and in spite of the willingness to do what we are told to do. There is something very important that we need to understand about our position in Christ, something that we probably will not totally understand until we are finally standing in His presence: We are the property of Christ Jesus, from now and forevermore! The point that I believe Paul was making in Ephesians 5:32, is one of being One with Christ. This is something that cannot be undone, but is literally "A Marriage Made In Heaven." How does this have anything to do with this verse? And what does "Washed Over" have to do with anything of our position in Christ? I would like to think of it like a rock in a riverbed or a steam. Peter described us as, "Lively Stones," which means that we are alive and living, right here, right now, but that we are also "built up in a spiritual house." Think of it as though your current body, which contains a soul, is like that rock in the stream or riverbed that is constantly being washed over by the water, taking away all of the things that are not of the Lord; things like lack of faith, unwillingness to obey, pride and selfishness; all the things that are what you would hope to be but cannot be on your own. A polished stone is what you become; not by cleaning yourself up, but by letting Christ wash over you with His Word! Isn't that amazing how that works! Jesus being the Chief Cornerstone, having a totally different affect on those that do not find Him precious and believe in Him, and those that find Him offensive and believe not. For those that find precious, they are refined and made perfect; those that find Him offensive, not so much...

  "Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? Why are thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psalms 42:7-11)

"In That Case"

"Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:" (Psalms 124:3)

  You do know that there is really nothing that can harm you, if God does not allow it, right? This is about what could have been, if God were not for them; which is probably something that we are not that familiar with, or aren't we? I only wish I could say that it was so, but I cannot; and if I tried to tell you otherwise, I would be lying! Here is the point I see in this, 'could have been,' situation: there are trials that we face where it seems as though we have been caught off guard, almost as if the enemy has set a trap for us, and we have fallen for something by which we allowed ourselves to be a part of. This is really not that unusual, because it is really something that is so common, it is almost overlooked. First and foremost, we must remember that we are fighting a battle; whether you agree with it or not, there is a battle going on all around you, and the enemy of your soul is going to try and take you out. If I could, I would like to relate this message to a very familiar character from the Bible; someone that we all are very familiar with and can easily relate to: his name is Jonah. As many of you know, Jonah was prophet that did not want to do something that God had asked him to do. Not all that uncommon, if you really stop and think about it. How many times has God asked you to do something and you said no? Maybe not so direct, but in one way or another, you avoided the request or found an excuse to say, No. There are things in our daily lives that require a direction or choice; probably more instances then we could ever keep track of. In Jonah's case, his was one that involved offering some people that were wicked a chance to denounce their wickedness, and a chance to be saved from destruction. What might have stopped Jonah from doing what God asked him to do? This is the time when we start looking for the trap! If you don't know it by now, God loves people; He might hate what we do, but He loves all people, even those that are lost! If there is something going on in our heart that stops us from loving people, especially those that are lost, then their is something that is missing, from God, in our heart. If there is any way we can give 100% of anything, that 100% of anything is our pride, as in, we give it up! I cannot count all of the times I let pride get the best of me; and when I say best of me, I mean the part of me that is not me, but the Holy Spirit living in me. Anywho...

"When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with a voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land." (Jonah 2:7-10)

"No Comparison"

"If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:" (Psalms 124:2)

  Understanding the reality of the situation, is something that takes on a whole new reality when we are looking at it with spiritual glasses on. I heard a message yesterday about David and Goliath and the weapons at David's disposal; like, it could have been anything he felt God telling him to use; he could have used a feather if he wanted, because the battle was really not his, but the LORD'S! And then the message went a little sideways, and started to be about giving God 100% verses 90%. The pastor used the example of giving 90% in your marriage, as if your spouse would be alright with that or not. Be that as it may, there is no comparison between the two relationships; our ability to give 100% is flawed, and any attempt to think otherwise will just confuse the situation. God, on the other hand, His .000000001% is greater than our 100% could ever be! That is the real message, because without God, my 100% is totally useless and is filthy rags! Which reminds me, I was going to use another closing Scripture yesterday, and I wrestled with it and the other for nearly fifteen minutes; but I think it still will work for today. There is something that is vitally important to our walk that we need to get straight, right from the get-go: If we are not in Christ, we cannot walk; and if we are not in Christ, we surely will not stand! That is the complete game-changer! You want to be 100%, then there is the Way to get it done, otherwise there is no hope, whatsoever...

"For since the beginning of the world men hath not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." (Isaiah 64:4-8)